Tag: Sally Hansen
Rift
Say what you want about crackle polish – it’s the one early 00s trend that I just cannot give up.
I only grabbed one of the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Stranger Things polishes – “Rift” which is supposed to be the red one. I was expecting a red crackle, but I should have done more research before I started. According to the internet, it’s a ‘crackle jelly’ – meaning that the color is left under the crackle. Since I used a pink polish as my base, it’s hard to tell that this polish is slightly redder than the base polish alone. I’ll have to give it another try over a white or gray polish to get the full effect.
This is two coats of Dreamland Lacquer “Pink Pajama Party” and one coat of “Rift” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Froot Loops” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Huckleberry“.
First Ulta Haul of 2026
There was a really good sale going on during the beginning of January, so I stocked up on a few things…
Vichy Dercos seems to be helping with the heartbreak of psoriasis, so I restocked on Vichy Dercos Selenium Sulfide Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Dercos Hair + Scalp Moisturizing Conditioner ($15.99 each, down from $19.99). This purchase netted me a free sample of Vichy Mineral 89 Serum.
I couldn’t pass up the BOGO 40% on Garnier, so I got 2 Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Water (normally $11.99), as well as another pack of Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Eco Pads 3 Pack ($7.19, down from $11.99). This purchase netted me a free metallic train case…I quibble with their definition of train case – it’s just a medium size makeup bag.
Ulta Beauty products were 30% off, so I picked my Ulta Beauty Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($7.70, down from $11) and Exfoliating Round Cotton Pads ($2.79, down from $3.99).
Against my better judgment, I bought another crackle nail polish – Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Stranger Things Nail Polish in “Rift” ($7.99). It wasn’t even on sale! But then I scrolled the sale page and bought Covergirl STRANGER THINGS The Bite PH Transforming Lip Gloss in “Hawkins Lab” ($4.50, down from $7.99). The slimy green gloss turns into a coral-leaning pink. (I like the r.e.m. beauty one better.) It also smells like burnt marshmallow goo, which tracks with that weird white goo in the upside down. I also got Orly Nail Lacquer in “Vintage” ($4.20) because it matches my living room.
I used a $5 off coupon AND $50 in Ulta points from my holiday shopping.
$1,143 to Diamond in 2027!
Easter Egg Nails
I was feeling festive and got out one of my trusty old dotting tools to make Easter Egg Nails for today’s…ham? That’s really the only Easter-adjacent things going on in the house right now. The real holiday is TOMORROW, when I can go get jelly beans for my husband at pennies on the dollar.
If you asked me directly, I’d tell you that I picked up the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x PEEPS on sale last year…but looking back at my posts, it was 2022! Time flies when the world is ending…in any case, I’ve already used “PEEPS Blue” and “PEEPS Fruit Punch”, so I used “PEEPS Pink”, “PEEPS Yellow” and “PEEPS White” for this manicure. Nothing too exciting to report – they are plain crème polishes, a bit streaky in one coat, but nice and self-levelling in two coats.
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, then two coats of each PEEPS nail polish. I dotted with my dotting tool, and then finished with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Bling Pop
THIS polish made buying the whole set worth it. To be honest, I wasn’t that impressed with The Berry Best or Grape Expectations…but Sally Hansen Insta Dri x Ring Pop “Bling Pop” is a nearly perfect polish. It’s a high coverage hot pink sheer shimmer, with a brilliant flash of blue fire. It lasted for nearly a full week and looked brilliant and shiny until I removed it.
This is two coats of “Bling Pop” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Now I just have to try the plain yellow polish that came with the set…ugh, maybe in 2026.
The Berry Best
I’ve always been obsessed with blue food. Not foods that are naturally blue, like blueberries…but blue candy and blue soda and blue snow cones and blue cotton candy and blue alcohol. Most of it is labelled as “Blue Raspberry” or “Berry Blue”, but it doesn’t taste like raspberries or blueberries or anything found in nature? What is this magical, laboratory-created flavor??? In any case, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Ring Pop “The Berry Best” is the nail polish representation of my favorite flavor.
This is two coats of “The Berry Best” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Grape Expectations
I’ve been feeling a bit like Miss Havisham these days…so why not “Grape Expectations”?
…I know I am married with two (almost grown children) – I just meant I like sitting around in my dusty-ass house, wearing a dirty wedding dress and eating old cake.
This is Sally Hansen x Ring Pops Insta-Dri “Grape Expectations”. They did a really good job with these polishes – they look like ring pops!
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, then two coats of “Grape Expectations”, and ended with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I Like Big Bum Bums…
…and I cannot lie.
It’s hard to pass up a coupon that includes Prestige Brands, even if it’s just a measly 10% off.
The many samples and deluxe samples of Bum Bum Cream are almost gone, so it’s time to buy the big boy – Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Refillable Body Cream ($48), 8.1 ounces of Bum Bum goodness – and it’s refillable! I also splurged on a purse spray of Sol de Janeiro SOL Cheirosa ’62 Eau de Parfum ($26) – it smells SO GOOD.
I scrolled the clearance page and found the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Ring Pop Nail Polish Quad Giftset ($2.20) and Ring Pop Nail Polish Holder ($2.50). That’s 55 cents per polish!
I also qualified for FENTY BEAUTY by Rihanna 4 piece Beauty Break. In addition to a sleek tote bag, I got a Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in “Fenty Glow”; Eaze Drop’Lit All-Over Glow Enhancer in “Bronze Jasper”; and Hella Thicc Volumizing Mascara in “Cuz I’m Black”. I’ll probably only use the tote bag and the mascara…
Only $508 to Diamond in 2025.
Barbiecore
Yes, these nails are PEAK Barbiecore…
My only disappointment with the way these nails turned out was the color of pink I picked. Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “Petal Pusher” (a freebie from last year) is more of a pastel peach than a pastel pink. Of course, I could always say I was going for a Peaches ‘N Cream Barbie vibe…or even a Barbie skintone vibe.
I got these Barbie nail decals a month or so ago at MINISO. They were only $5 – very affordable. Now I want to go back and get Kuromi nail decals!
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, two coats of “Petal Pusher”, and then the MINISO decals. I topped the decals with Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber, which may be the cause of the bubbles, and then Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Welcome to IKEA
Do you ever have a creative idea come to you as you’re falling asleep? And then you become obsessed by the idea and you keep thinking about it, and you cannot stop thinking about it…until you DO IT?
These nails were one of those liminal ideas…and it turned out disappointing, to say the least. My sleep-addled mind forgot that yellow + blue = green, so that’s how I ended up with mostly greenish nails, instead of resembling IKEA branding. I tried, okay?
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and two coats of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “C is for Cookie” on my first four nails. I left my thumb plain and then topped the next three fingers with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “Think BIG”. My pinky got just two coats of “Think BIG” – and I cannot help but think of the bathtub after Big Bird shaves their legs…(yes, I’ve always considered Big Bird to be non-binary)…I topped with Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
IKEA nails lasted exactly two days. LOL.
C is for Cookie
…and that’s good enough for me!
That’s right, I was a Sesame Street kid and a Muppet Show connoisseur. I had Sesame Street Fever on 8-track, that’s how old I am. Cookie Monster wasn’t my favorite, but we got along okay…I mean – who doesn’t like cookies? I like a good chocolate chip cookie – especially the ones my daughter makes – but Oreos are my drug of choice…
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Sesame Street “C is for Cookie” is the truest, bluest blue nail polish that I own. There were no streaks, no bubbles, no trouble. It’s beautiful.
I almost wish that this polish was textured like the Elmo polish. Almost.
This is two coats of “C is for Cookie” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.